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Tappo Wine Bar & Restaurant
Categories: Nightlife Bars Wine Bars Restaurants Canadian (New) Wine Bars, Canadian (New) [Edit]
55 Mill StreetToronto, ON M5A 3C4
Neighbourhood: Distillery District
(647) 430-1111
- Hours:
Tue-Fri 12 pm - 12 am
Sat-Sun 5 pm - 12 am
- Delivery:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Attire:
- Dressy
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Take Away:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Music:
- Background
- Best Nights:
- Fri, Thu, Sat
- Happy Hour:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- Outdoor Area/ Patio Only
- Coat Check:
- Yes
- Noise Level:
- Loud
- Good For Dancing:
- No
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
23 reviews for Tappo Wine Bar & Restaurant
Review Highlights
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"ricotta-spinach gnocchi in a gorgonzola cream." In 6 reviews -
"For Italian food, I have never had anything better in a..." In 3 reviews -
"Tappo is so romantic but not pretentious." In 4 reviews
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23 reviews in English
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Review from Susan G.
4/2/2012
After a shaky start to my night at Tappo, they really pulled it around for a great evening.
I made reservations online, and received a confirmation email - unfortunately when I showed up, they had no record of my reservation. Alas. Fortunately, at 10:30pm on a Saturday they aren't that busy, so we were able to get a table no problem.
To start, I really like the intimate feel of the restaurant - it would be a great date spot. Their menus are kind of horrendous though - they remind me of some old fashioned small-town restaurant. They do have a large wine list - I would have been devastated if they didn't - with varying prices in everyone's budget.
As for the meal itself, the food was absolutely delicious. We split two appetizers, the shrimp one and the cured meat platters, which were great, and both had a pasta. My penne a la vodka was perfectly al dente, and the sauce was just the right amount of creamy.
When it came to dessert, we ordered the panacotta, but unfortunately they had run out. Instead they brought us the flourless chocolate cake and the tiramisu, as well as two shots of lemoncello, all on the house! I love restaurants who can recover from errors - great customer service.
The service was overall fantastic - while it was a bit pricey, it was definitely on par with the caliber of the food. I can't say I'll be back soon (hey, I can't afford it!) but I would definitely recommend it. -
Review from Phatty G.
Toronto, ON
2/9/2012
NOT IMPRESSED.
Visited here last night (Wednesday evening) with a girlfriend and the restaurant itself was about 30% full at 6:30pm. We were seated at a SMALL table near the door where it was breezy and cold. I asked for another table and was told that they were "unavailable". Are you kidding me? 20 minutes later the place started filling up and they gave a couple a table that could seat 5! I need to try remember when it is Winterlicious so I can avoid going out at that time.
We ordered the cured meat platter, 2 glasses of wine, and a main each. The waiter brought us bread but no butter. There was no olive oil or balsamic at our table and I had to ask for it. We saw our wine sitting at the bar for at least 10 minutes before he finally brought that over as well. Seriously?! The wild mushroom ravioli with sundried tomatoes I ordered was mediocre and not worth the $24. I would have been so much happier eating at Terroni. At least the food there is consistently good and prices are reasonable for what you get. By the time we finished our food, we decided to skip our dessert and head over to Pure Spirits for more drinks and dessert.
Clientele is slightly older... some late 20s, but more 30s+. The ambience is nice for a date but not exactly what I would call LIVE. By the time we left, the restaurant was pretty full and another unlucky couple was waiting for our table. I wanted to tell them to skip their dinner and head over to Arceho next door instead.
1 star for ambience and booze. -
Review from Frank L.
Toronto, ON
2/8/2012 1 Check-in Here
When I call in the restaurant to make my reservation at 5 p.m. the only time available is 7:30 or 7:45 p.m.. As there is not much to do we go to the restaurant anyway at 7 p.m. preparing to hang around lining up for our table. When we step in, the restaurant is more than half empty. We immediately have our seat but only right in front of the entrance. After a few minutes, sorry we cannot stand the cold as the wind comes through the door. So we request for another table and is moved away from the entrance.
We order soup of the day which is sausage, mushroom in a broth. There are a lot of different spices in the soup. It tastes good. Most of the pasta there are pretty plain. The Cornish hen that I order is apricot glazed served with caramelized onion bacon potato hash with green beans and a truffle jus. When the dish comes, I found it is only half of a Cornish hen for $28. The menu price of this restaurant compared to other fine Italian restaurants is definitely inflated, i.e., much overpriced. I cannot taste any apricot. The time between each serving is a long wait. It may be good for those who come and chat and forget about their food.
The first impression is the waiter at the reservation desk is a bit weird. I told him that we call in but no seat available earlier and their online OpenTable reservation system is down. He insists that nothing is wrong and mumbles a lot.
I don't think I will ever come back to this restaurant. If I want the atmosphere of the Distillery District, there are other restaurants that I can choose from. Generally the food quality is good but the service is so so and overpriced. I will still give it a 3 stars. -
Review from Kelly S.
Toronto, ON
1/25/2012
I think the food is wonderful and the restaurant itself is beautiful.
However, the staff aren't the nicest of people and there is one waiter there that scares me. He is scattered, jittery, jumpy, and generally out of it. We saw him spin in circles while standing in the same spot. Then he lost my credit card and another server found it outside on a ledge of the patio at the front of the restaurant...
He is a huge put off on the experience when we go there. Otherwise I like the place. -
Review from Min Min T.
Scarborough, ON
1/5/2012
I'm disappointed that restaurants in Toronto continue to serve Chilean sea bass, which is a species that is vulnerable to overfishing and which is often fished illegally.
Aside from that, I came here for lunch on a Wednesday afternoon. It was empty and the waiter, while polite, was clearly disappointed that he had to serve us when he was hoping for a long break.
We started with the arugula salad that had the prosecco vinaigrette. The poached pear was alright but didn't stand out. Since my partner and I are both vegetarian, we requested both mains to be vegetarian - they were able to make the risotto without rabbit meat. The roasted corn in the risotto didn't seem quite so roasted though - still tasty. The butternut squash ravioli with sage was a bit off - overly sweet. Decent but nothing was exactly outstanding or memorable.
The interior is nice but smaller than what I expected. The service was minimal and not exactly sincere. We still tipped 20% since we just didn't want to wait for change.
Not likely to come back.
2.5/5 stars -
Review from Bryan C.
Toronto, ON
12/2/2011 1 Check-in Here
This review is going to sound bad if you are just skimming through, so you won't understand my 3/5 star rating unless you actually read thoroughly...
A group of us went to Tappo for our office Christmas party. There were 10 of us and we made reservations 3 weeks in advance because we know how busy the holiday season can get. When we arrived there were no tables available, but we were told that we would be seated shortly. Just shy of 2 hours after our reservation time we were finally seated at a table instead of just crowding around the bar. While it gave us something to gripe about, it did not dampen our spirits or our fun at all because that is just the way our staff is. And naturally 2 hours of drinks would make anyone happy.
While eating some appetizers and drinking our livers away at the bar, we ordered our mains when we were told that we would have a table in about 15-20 minutes (after over an hour and a half of waiting of course). A large percentage of us ordered the Filetto Di Manzo Alla Griglia (pan seared and peppercorn crusted 8oz beef tenderloin, herbed mashed potatoes, fine green beans and a gorgonzola tarragon cream). Unfortunately we were told a few minutes later that they were out of the tenderloin, so all of us switched to the Costata Di Vitello Alla Griglia (grilled 14oz veal chop served with garlic mashed potatoes, seasonal vegetables, rosemary truffle jus). Very shortly after being seated the food arrived which was nice as we had been there over 2 hours already and were quite hungry from a long day.
At first bite, the veal chop was amazing. I don't know about everyone else's, but mine was perfectly medium rare and quite juicy. The spices and the meat, were a very amazing flavour that just melted in my mouth...that made the wait more worth it. The moment of the first couple bites was the first time there was silence in our large group since we arrived as we all savoured in the taste (and finally being able to eat). When the silence was broken, even those that did not order the veal were raving about how good their individual dishes were. We knew right then that it was a good choice in restaurant.
It was a little hard to get the wait staff's attention after they cleared the plates and we were ready for dessert. We were told twice that someone would be over to inform us of the desserts since they change all the time and there is no set menu. We pestered the staff enough that eventually they decided to just send over a couple platters which consisted of tiramisu and brownie-like chocolate cake. Just like the main course, it was well worth the wait because it was so good that it was gone in seconds.
There were of course circumstances which caused us to wait, and it happens, and we were adequately taken care of for the troubles. They of course lose points because of the troubles, but the food really made up for it all. Probably on a different night or with a smaller group it would have been a different situation. If the place is packed when you arrive, you might want to turn around right then. But if you get a seat, you will love what is served! -
Review from Janna S.
11/1/2011 1 Check-in Here
I came here after purchasing a deal voucher and I think that might have had an impact on the service I received here, but I can't be sure. Overall I don't think I'd recommend this place over any others in the Distillery District. There are so many great restaurants here and they all have beautiful architecture, so they need to work really hard to stand out with amazing food and/or superb service.
I had to ask for a bread basket, and what seemed like attentive service soured when I was informed by my ever-present server that my table was reserved for another party an hour and a half after my reservation, and that I only had an hour left. Since my dinner date was late, I felt dinner was a bit rushed when she arrived and we ordered immediately.
I ordered the beef Carpaccio as an appetizer with gnocchi as a main; both of these were good but the gnocchi could definitely have used more of the crispy pear slices (there was only one). I think the pricing is pretty steep, considering the quality and presentation of the food here. It isn't terrible, but like I said, it needs to stand out more in an area like this.
Bathrooms are extremely tiny (forgivable considering the limitations of Victorian-era plumbing), but they smelled a bit musty. I would not want to be in there in the summertime. -
Review from Anthony C.
Toronto, ON
12/4/2011
I would probably have given this a 3.5 if that was possible. The food was very good and worthy of 4 stars (I rarely give 5 - because that implies near perfection). The restaurant itself was beautiful and the distillery distract was all dressed up nicely like a scene out of a Christmas Carol. We both had fish . The black cod in a puttanesca sauce was delicious and the special that day halibut in a butter sauce was also very good. We had a Sauv Blanc from NZ and it was good as expected.
The two things that landed Tappo in 3 star territory was the price - like all places in the distillery, too high for the quality - and also the waiter while pleasant and available seemed a bit fake or at least not entirely genuine or happy to be there.
Nonetheless worth a try and a great place for a romantic evening. -
Review from sunnee s.
Toronto, ON
9/6/2011
Tappo is so romantic but not pretentious. Perfect for a dinner date. i loved the charming brick walls. love the atmosphere.
for app, we had calamari, marinated in lemon-cilantro, brandy citrus sauce and charred tomato-avocado salsa & grilled portobello mushroom on a bed of arugula salad with goat cheese. calamari was perfectly cooked, so tender but not mushy. i loved the sauce it was marinated with. but the portobello!! SOO good! esp w the goat cheese! we might be bias tho cuz we loveee portobello.
for entree, i had the gnocchi. ricotta-spinach gnocchi in a gorgonzola cream
sauce with caramelized pears and roasted walnut. OMG. secretly, i dont really like italian food. i find pasta boring & plain. maybe its cuz i never had real authentic italian italian food yet. but THIS!!! this gnocchi dish was delish!! sooooooo good, possibly the best gnocchi ive ever had (altho i havent tried that many) !! so creamy, so flavorful! i didnt really care about the walnut, but the little pieces of pear! i wish there were more! the bf had the lamb. ALL other restaurants should learn how to cook lamb like how they do at tappo!! he ordered it as medium and medium it came out,still so juicy and tender, NOT dry and chewy! perfect proportion of meat vs. fat. lamb was good, but what REALLY impressed me were the veggies that came w it. they were the most PERFECTLY cooked veggies ive ever had. HOW do you make your veggies like that?!
i really really liked tappo. the best italian ive yet to try. romantic candle lit setting, unpretentious, perfect food, perfect portion.. theres nothing else i need. :)Listed in: Delizioso! - Italian
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Review from Melanie C.
Oakville, ON
9/7/2010
My date was over half an hour late (story of my life) but the wait staff made sure I was very comfortable. I was served water and bread to keep me occupied and also asked if I wanted to order a beverage while waiting. I liked the acknowledgment, but also liked that they didn't bother me too often.
By the time he finally showed up, I had studied the menu and wine list cover to cover. We both decided on the Pinot Noir and shared the Antipasto Fredo (cheese, meats, olives, peppers, salmon and salad). I also ordered the calamari to start and my date had the soup of the day - carrot with something. He wouldn't stop talking about how great the soup was. I loved my calamari as well. The Antipasto platter was fantastic - a great variety of meats and cheeses, all very tasty and beautifully displayed.
For my main dish I ordered the gnocchi with pears and walnuts. I forgot how filling gnocchi is and only finished about half my dish. I had hoped there would be more pears in the dish, but enjoyed the bits that were there. I also really enjoyed the texture of the walnuts in my pasta. My date enjoyed the lamb shank (another special of the day) and had only great things to say about it.
I didn't think I deserved dessert after not finishing my meal, but we ended up ordering a tiramisu (à la mode) to share. It was a tiny portion, but more than enough for me as I was overstuffed by this point. The tiramisu was rich and creamy. A great way to finish off a fantastic meal.
We were dining inside as it was drizzling rain on and off, but the patio out front is fairly large and would be great during the day for drinks. There was also a live band outside. They kept the door open so we also enjoyed the music, even though we couldn't see the performers. -
Review from Ryan T.
Toronto, ON
12/28/2010 1 Check-in Here
Ya, it's Italian food. The menu has some eye catching options, there was some thought and it shows.
For a restaurant located inside a tourist attraction, it was still very nice. At least it looks really nice, a great first impression maker. And with pasta what more do you need then atmosphere anyway?
The service was amusing (the guys were a bit neurotic), but very professional. I felt very taken care of. As I usually do in nicer Italian restaurants. -
Review from Tara A.
10/24/2009 3 photos
I can't help but love any place that is located in the Distillery district of Toronto. It may be my favourite place to go and have a meal or check out a play... So when last weekend when one of my girlfriends was celebrating her birthday and I found out the location of the restaurant... I had to check it out.
We were a group of 10 and or and we had an 8pm reservation. The place was so busy and the atmosphere in restaurant was so warm and cozy. I love the exposed brick in the place (don't love how slippery the floors are though by the bathroom.. I almost fell and one of my girlfriends did actually slip)...
Their wine list is extensive (don't like wine? try their cesars.. delicious) and the food is unbelieveable - I had the cheese tortellini ala vodka and it was so fabulous..
Most of their servers are extremely knowledgeable and friendly. - on that note though, there was an individual who I am not sure what his job was at the place but he kept falling all over one of my girlfriends.. touching her - at one point he even put his face in her breasts ... very inappropriate... and kept bugging her and us for that matter .. we are the kind of crowd that take things in stride so we didn't sweat it but it was highly inappropriate and I don't think that server, host whatever the heck he was should be working at such a brilliant space.
Don't let me distract you though from checking out a gem in the heart of Toronto though... the food and wine alone will have you going back over and over again. -
Review from Pluggy S.
Toronto, ON
5/13/2009
Been here a few times during its first year. Kinda stumbled upon it. Great food, strong drinks and a reasonably priced menu. Service is very personal and you kinda feel they want you to stay all night (and not rush you to turn a table) The long bar adds a lot of ambiance to the place and is a notso bad spot to eat of the restaurant tables are too busy.
Check it out, you wont be dissapointed. -
Review from Dee H.
Toronto, ON
4/4/2009
Never has a mushroom tasted so good. As a (pecto) veggie, I have had my fair share of portobello mushrooms. I have never been to a restaurant that treated a mushroom like a steak, ensuring it was cooked to absolute perfection. The softest, most delicate goat's cheese, perfectly ripe cherry tomatoes, a bed of arugula, and a perfectly reduced (very expensive) balsamic dressing. I savoured every bite.
However, the second course blew my mind. A new fish eater, I'm fairly difficult to please. Comparing all fish with the mahi mahi in hawaii or the tuna in new york, I'm not exactly forgiving when it comes to my seafood. I very literally, sipped every drop of the BROTH from my seafood dish. The seafood was incredible. I took a chance ordering a dish including muscles (who wants to eat a chewy piece of gum called a MUSCLE for chrissakes anyway), and i ATE. IT. UP. Soooo good.
I spent a fortune at this restaurant in honour of my boyfriend's 27th birthday, with absolutely NO regrets. Can't wait to spend a fortune there again. The staff is unparallelled (our waiter brought me all of the desserts, as I couldn't decide which one I wanted, and Dominic remembered my name).
FULLY recommended as an intimate event or a romantic meal. Part of an incredible evening to convince my boyfriend that birthdays are important. Thanks Tappo! As always, unmatched meal and service.
Conclusion? Expensive, but worth every penny. -
Review from M B.
8/3/2011
Spectacular lunch !! The salmon with vegatbles was perfectly cooked, and the gnocchi was wonderfully seasoned. Of course if you are a balsamic vinegar and olive oil lover, the endless bread basket with full bottles of each are really nice. Waistaff was efficient, atmosphere outstanding. The best place to visit at the Distillery. Loved it, wouldn't hesitate to go back or highly recommend.
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Review from Barry W.
7/8/2011
Fifty minutes waiting for two dishes: one penne and one spaghetti.
Both dishes are poorly done...especially the spicy Italian pork sausage one
Also, for a place claimed to be a wine bar, you should at least offer different serving sizes. -
Review from Elaine D.
11/22/2010
Just came back from a weekend visit to Toronto and I made it a point to stop by the Distillery district to have lunch when we stumbled upon this restaurant. It's a really nice looking restaurant and on a Friday afternoon it was practically empty. My friend ordered the gnocchi (which he said was good) and I ordered the spicy sausage penne pasta which was good but nothing to write home about. For the price we paid, I don't think the food was worth it. There were about 4 or 5 small pieces of sausage in my pasta. I'll give them credit for the really attentive service we received.
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Review from Margs L.
Toronto, ON
1/5/2011
I actually spent New Years Eve at Tappo this year. I had a wonderful time. I didn't get to eat at this place but I look forward to going back and enjoying the menu. The decor is very nice and the staff was friendly even on such a busy and difficult night to work on. I would definitely recommend looking into this place for special events as well as regular dinner night.
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Review from Kat T.
11/1/2009
For Italian food, I have never had anything better in a restaurant, excluding all pizza-based Italian foods. Tappo worked with my friend to arrange a last-minute wedding dinner for 48 people. She was able to book the entire restaurant within 4 weeks of her desired date. There was enough space for a small dance floor- which I fully took advantage of.
The amazing groom set up his iPod to play the list of music, but I'm sure the restaurant usually has lovely, relaxing music.
The menu was set for the following:
Antipasti platter with meats, cheeses, shrimp, veggies, and smoked salmon served with fresh, soft bread.
Pasta plate of half and half- penne with rose sauce and food-gasmic risotto with mushrooms and black truffle oil. I could really taste the truffles- YUMMMMM!
I hardly had room by this time, but managed to finish my salmon that must have been cooked in butter it was so delicious! The steak was 3 star looking, though.
Dessert tray- I definitely had no room for anything, but I've been told the Tiramisu is the most delicious of their Italian-inspired dessert options.
The service was amazing! And cute, too. They never let my wine glass get less than half full.
On a typical night, I could see that they may be a little busy.
The setting is out of this world. The stone walls and cement floor are reminiscent of the original purpose. The other features in the ceiling and for decor are a grain scale that weighs up to 25 tonnes!
The flowers, wine rack and even the bar are gorgeous!
If you don't have a reservation, have no reservation about sitting at the bar. You won't be disappointed. And you can't beat the outdoor fire pits, and the romance of the distillery district after sunset. A night to remember, for sure. -
Review from Tara L.
Toronto, ON
9/19/2010 1 Check-in Here
Love the bar! This really is a beautiful place. Just in for a drink so not sure about food.
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Review from Steve P.
3/2/2010
This was the fiancees choice for her Valentines Dinner. We had reservations for 8PM. On our way it began snowing which added some romantic ambiance to the evening and upon arriving at the location they had their pit fires burning keeping people outside warm. Thats pretty much where the "Romantic" part of the evening left off. We entered the building to hear rock music playing, and witness throngs of people milling about everywhere. It was not extraordinarily busy, a handful of tables open and a few spots at the bar. We gave the server our names and were shown to our table. I would like to say it was a nice spot, however it was not. It was the table right next to the large boiler furnace off to the left of the entry way, and my chair was so close to the guy sitting behind me that neither of us could leave our tables without hitting the other one. We slowly inched the table away from him in order to make more room. This did put my fiancee in the middle of the walkway giving the servers less space to move, but if they had a problem with this, they sure didn't show it. Something irked me is that I noticed the host was taking the coats of people coming in and hanging them up. I saw no discernible difference between how they were dressed and myself. They had coats, I had a coat, they had a dress shirt, I had a dress shirt. The more I noticed him actually doing this to everyone walking in, made me a little upset that I had to set my jacket beside me because there was no room on the back of my chair due to the proximity of the other patron.
We both decided on an appetizer each to start the meal, She ordered the Antipasto Fredo, and myself with the Carpaccio Di Manzo, for Entrees, She chose the Gnocchi Di Spinaci E Ricotta al Gogonzola, and I went with the Terra E Mare.
After ordering I would imagine we could have been talking about how romantic things were and how the place had a very cozy feel to it, however this particular night we were listening to creed playing in the background. We made the best of our time between shifting the table back and forth and talking about the various plates of food we saw passing us. It all looked excellent and smelled even better. Ten minutes later a very large plate was sat down on the table taking up most of it, it was my fiancee's appetizer, with the size of the plate I assumed that mine would come out next due to us not really having enough room for both. Everything was fantastic, the salad, the meats, cheeses, olives (I dislike olives), even the smoked salmon tasted great. By far a great start. I took notice to the owner (Hockey) making rounds to tables inquiring to each person asking them how the meals were and how they were enjoying themselves. Until he got to our table, which he skipped over. Point lost. I know what you may be thinking, we hadn't had our meals so there was no point in him stopping by, well 2 other tables he stopped at, didn't even have their waters yet.
Oh well, before I had a chance to speak our Italian whisked the plate away and suddenly we were staring at our dinner plates. Setting aside the fact I am missing my app, the dinners had a great presentation to them and once again, excellent aroma. I was slightly taken aback by my dish since what I read was not in front of me, "Veal Medallions", what I was looking at was a piece of veal over potatoes, scallops and shrimp arranged around the plate. Sure it didn't look like what I imagined, however it tasted very good. The scallops were a tad rubbery but everything else made up for it. The gnocchi side of things were being gobbled up with gumption, she really enjoyed it. We finished off our plates and the server asked if there would be deserts on order. We made the point about missing the appetizer and she said the kitchen was very busy and must have missed it, so in order to make up for it, she gave us a free order of Tiramisu and apologized for the mistake.
All in all this was a good Valentines dinner for the both of us. Slight problems throughout the evening but we didn't let them dampen our spirits, only this review. -
Review from Ryan V.
Toronto, ON
12/27/2008
Great decor and a wonderful menu. If you like Lamb you will not be disappointed. Really cosy atmosphere with good music playing, attentive servers and wide variety of customers. I have gone numerous times and have always had a good experience. You might even bump into one of the owners too and if you are a hockey fan you will recognize him as Shane Corson.
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Review from Cher A.
North York, ON
5/11/2010 2 photos
I went here for my birthday and the food was amazing! The waiters were so helpful and friendly. I had to change my reservation about 5times due to weather and some cancellations. In the end, myself and the other people who showed up had a lovely meal. I highly recommend it! Delicious!!
